The Brookhaven leader., 1887-10-27
THE STORY OF 4 CANDI-
DATE.
John Bolts Deason, the Great
Chronic Office Seeker and
Political Acrobat.

The reappcarance in the political are
ma of Lincoln county of this doughty
old fraud as an Independent candi-
date for Representative reyivcs many
rccollcctions of his political antcce-
dents which, as Col Alias Henderson
would say. are not altogether salubri-
Gus. Hence this article.
Many people have forgotten, while
many others have perhaps never
known. of his everlasting, Unsuitable
haukcring after the fleshpots of Office
and the acrobatic contortions lie has re-
sorted to to live on u salary paid by
: the taxpayers. The truth she is the
chronic tfice-Sceker and political ac-
robat parexcellence. When il comes
to holding office "Barkis is always
willin' and more than willin', aud
his capacity lies chiefly in his prompt
ness and ability to draw his salary.
In fact his very best friends have
never accused him of having any 9TH
CT ability.
According to our information, he
first began his career as IL civil Office
holder in Gazoo county away back i'll
the fiftieS. when he was elected county
treasurer and defaulted for goOdly
sum and left his unfortunate bonds
men to make good the deficit. Of
course, however. the robbing of a coun-
ty ont of IL few hundreds or thousands
of dollars, more or less, which bonds
men hld to pay is IL very small mat
/ ter, and should never operate against
Il mans aspirations for office after
ward; this is what bOndsmen are
made for. Therefore it was that at Il
subsequent date we find this same
/ c. Q. :. holding the office of District
Attorney by appointment of MisSiss-
ippi's notorious Carpet bag Governor
Ames. \ man that is bound to have
office mustn't be particular about his
+ political associates or deserving his
people in the hour of their soreSt eX-
tremity and joining their oppressors.
/ However, the Office of District AttOr-
ney given him hyAmrs lost its attrac-
ton when something better was offer
ed 10y the prince of carpet baggers,and
he snapped that off for il chancellor
ship, the salary of which he drew
with great promptncss and regularity
! (that being the only thing about the
office he possessed the ability to do)
until the carPet-bag government was
overthrow by an almost super-hu-
man effort of the people and he was
succeeded by Il competent man. But
like the daughter of the horse eech,
John Bolts began to cry and scramble
for more public pap, and he was
soon thereafter found in the pOStof-
/ fee at BroOkhavcn under a Republic
! can administration drawing pap
! from 'Uncle Sam But a little c0un-
try postotficc like this didn't long sat
/ isfy his cravings, so we next find him
while holding on to the poStofice with
one hand, organizing, alming around,
and conSorting with coI0redRepnblcan
and the remnant of white carpet bag
gers left, trying to be elected to Con
grcSS. But this was II. e., being bad
~ defeated by the eloquent Hooker.
and he continued to swing on to the
post Office and in the fall of 'S3, being
somewhat humbled in his aspirations,
he wanted the District Attorneys of
flee again, and ran against McLain,
the Democratic nominee for that He
was badly beaten, rs he deserved to
/ be, bat still thirSting for official pap
other titan he had, and still grasping
the BrO0khaven pOSt-Otlice as a sort of
base, next Spring he ranand was elected
mayor of Bro0khaven. Here, as in
other offices he had held, he only dis
tinguiShcd himself ny the great ability
and promptncSS with which he drew
his official salary. About this time,
too, he illustrated in most emphatic
way. his inordinate greed for Office
and his utter unscrupulouSness in try
ing to obtain it. Squire Britton Hall
having failed to qualify, the office of
Justice of the Peace at Bogue
Chitto became vacant soon al
ter John Bolts was elected
Mayor, and forthwith, notwithstan-
ding the fact that he was already US.
postmaster and Mayor of this city,and
Notwithstanding the fact that the peo-
pie of the lower portion of beat one
y were clearly entitled to IL Justice of
the Peace ut that end of the Beat, his
tcapacious NAV yearned formOre official
pap and he became candidate ana
tried to gobblc up this little office
of J. p. too, but was beaten by John
|. Marshall, most worthy citizen of
Bogue Chitto.
His great capacity lin his own est
mation)for holding Office began by this
time to attract even the attention of
the Republican Administration ut